1. Pet Care Worker Agriculture Careers By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Asha Wise Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education April 2006

2. Job Duties & Responsibilities • Animal Shelter Worker or Kennel Operator: • Feeding and watering animals according to schedules and feeding instructions • Cleaning and disinfecting animal pen • Exercising animals • Repairing fences, cages or pens • Ordering, unloading, and storing feed and supplies • Recording information such as weight and physical condition and sedating animals • For Pet Groomers: • Brushing hair • Clipping nails • Cleaning the ears • Bathing • Blow-drying • Clipping • May also answer the phone, schedule appointments, and perform office duties related to a business

3. Qualities and Skills • A pet care worker needs to have a strong love for animals • Be patient with pets, pet owners, and other employees • Have a calm and professional demeanor in order to deal with the public when enforcing laws regarding animal care • Be able to gain the respect and confidence of the animals and the owners

4. Special Requirements • The National Dog Groomers Association of America certifies groomers who pass a written examination consisting of 400 questions and a separate part testing the groomer’s practical skills. • The American Boarding Kennels Association (ABKA) offers a three-stage, home-study program for individuals interested in pet care. Those who complete the third stage and pass the oral and written examinations administered by the ABKA become Certified Kennel Operators (CKO). • Animal caretakers in animal shelters are not required to have any specialized training. However, training programs and workshops are increasingly available. • Workshop topics include cruelty investigations, appropriate methods of euthanasia for shelter animals, proper guidelines for capturing animals, and techniques for preventing problems with wildlife.

5. Work Environment • Humane societies and municipal animal shelters • Some of the work may be unpleasant, physically and emotionally demanding, and sometimes dangerous • Risk exposure to bites or scratches • Work often involves kneeling, crawling, repeated bending, and lifting heavy supplies like bags of feed • Work setting can be noisy • May work outdoors in all kinds of weather • Hours are irregular, but are usually about 40 hours a week • Caretakers often work weekend and holiday shifts • In some animal hospitals, research facilities, and animal shelters, an attendant is on duty 24 hours a day, which means night shifts

6. To Learn More & Prepare for this Career • Courses in high school should include biology, chemistry and mathematics, English, speech, and communication • Also, business courses teach basic business skills for those pursuing their own grooming service or kennel • Join a kennel club • Volunteer at a local animal shelter • Work part time at a pet store, petting zoo, or a vet’s office • Own and care for your own pet

7. Career Resources • National Dog Groomers Association of America • NDGAA P.O. Box 101 • Clark, PA 16113, USA http://www.nationaldoggroomers.com • The American Boarding Kennels Association • 1702 East Pikes Peak Ave., • Colorado Springs, CO 80909. • http://www.abka.com/abka • American Humane Association • 63 Inverness Drive EastEnglewood, CO 80112 • http://www.americanhumane.org • The Humane Society of the United States • http://www.hsus.org • Pet Groomer.com • http://www.petgroomer.com